Characteristics of Life & the Scientific Method
Review the seven traits shared by living things, the levels of biological organization, and the parts of a controlled experiment.
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Questions Covered in This Set
11 cards to master
What are the seven characteristics of living things?
Cellular organization, metabolism (uses energy), homeostasis, growth and development, reproduction, response to stimuli, and evolution/adaptation over generations.
What is homeostasis?
Maintaining stable internal conditions despite changes outside — e.g., your body holding ~37 °C by sweating, shivering, and adjusting blood vessels.
Why is a candle flame NOT considered alive?
It uses energy, grows, and can 'reproduce,' but it has no cells, no DNA, no homeostasis, and no evolution — life must show ALL the characteristics.
Why do most biologists classify viruses as non-living?
Viruses have genetic material and evolve, but they have no cells and no metabolism of their own — they can only copy themselves by hijacking a host cell.
List the levels of biological organization from atoms to biosphere.
Atoms → molecules → organelles → cells → tissues → organs → organ systems → organism → population → community → ecosystem → biome → biosphere.
What is the difference between a population, a community, and an ecosystem?
A population is one species in one place; a community is all the populations together; an ecosystem adds the nonliving parts (soil, water, sunlight).
What makes a statement a scientific hypothesis?
It is a testable, falsifiable proposed explanation that predicts something — not just a guess. 'Plants like music' isn't testable; 'plants given 8 hrs of music daily grow taller than plants in silence' is.
Independent vs. dependent variable?
Independent = what YOU deliberately change (hours of music). Dependent = what you measure, which depends on it (plant height in cm).
What are controlled variables (constants)?
Everything kept the same across all groups — soil type, pot size, water volume, light, temperature, seed variety — so only one factor differs.
Why does an experiment need a control group?
The control group gets no treatment and serves as the comparison baseline; without it there's nothing to measure the treatment's effect against.
What are the steps of the scientific method loop?
Observe → question → hypothesize → test → analyze → revise → share — it's a repeating loop, not a rigid one-time ritual.
